The Civil Society Covenant: A Crucial Opportunity to Shape Government Collaboration
Caroline Whitney
For Community Transport Association (CTA) members, the Civil Society Covenant offers a vital opportunity to strengthen and formalise the relationship between community transport providers and government. Led by NCVO and ACEVO and developed in partnership with the government, the Covenant aims to set a new, collaborative framework that respects and amplifies the essential role of civil society organisations.
Why do we need a Covenant?
The relationship between civil society and government is crucial in supporting communities, delivering services and ensuring we have a flourishing society and economy. The Covenant will set out principles to guide a constructive two-way relationship.
The development of these relationships is vital for community transport operators. CTA is working closely with the Department for Transport and the devolved Governments to try to embed community transport in national policies and strategies and this covenant has the potential to help speed up and strengthen this process.
The covenant will also apply to local government and so will be able to support your work locally.
Engaging in this process offers CTA members the chance to influence this new relationship directly, ensuring that the Covenant’s principles reflect the specific challenges and goals of community transport providers. By contributing feedback on the Covenant, CTA members can help shape a framework that bolsters support, improves collaboration, and maximises the impact of your services.
How You Can Shape the Covenant
As the Covenant continues to take shape, feedback from CTA members is invaluable. Community transport operators have first-hand knowledge of the specific needs and challenges of engaging with local and national government agencies. By sharing your experiences and perspectives, you can directly influence the Covenant’s development, ensuring it adequately supports and reflects the unique needs of the community transport sector.
To learn more about the Civil Society Covenant, visit the NCVO website, here you will be able to find a summary of the progress of the covenant and a form for you to provide your feedback.
- Learn more about the Civil Society Covenant and how you can get involved.
- Register for NCVOs drop in workshops.
- Share your experiences and provide feedback on the draft Covenant Framework principles.
- Download the partner toolkit and start spreading the word.
Key Dates
Ensure you have responded to the survey by midday on Thursday 12 December.
It should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete.
How does the Covenant relate to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
The Covenant is primarily intended to guide the relationship between the UK Government and civil society across all four nations. The aim is for the Covenant to be relevant and useful for government at every level in its relationship with civil society, including devolved government and local government (for whom the Covenant will be voluntary and non-binding).
Policy on civil society, and many of the issues that civil society organisations focus on, is devolved. Devolved Governments have existing arrangements or plans with civil society in their nations. They want the Covenant to complement rather than over-ride or disrupt these arrangements.
Over the coming months they will engage and listen to Devolved Governments and civil society across all four nations so that they can learn from existing arrangements and understand how the Covenant might work alongside existing arrangements in each nation.